4. Hot Pursuit
Mayim took a sip of the tea she'd been offered. Brewed over the hearth in the small, humble home of the aging woman who'd taken her in, it was a little bitter and had an odd tang to it, but it was warm and refreshing. For a woman like Mayim, who'd been all over the globe -- tasted all kinds of teas -- it was nothing to complain about. Just another to add to the list.
She was glad for the hospitality. She knew it wasn't every day in a place like Doi Pui Village that an international agent came knocking on your door, and to this local's credit, she hadn't seemed fazed in the slightest. She'd simply welcomed Mayim inside, put a pot on the fire, and told her everything she knew about the mysterious foreign woman who'd shown up on the mountainside not long ago.
"That was the strangest thing. Well, besides how she dressed. She refused all my hospitality. No meal; no rest; not even a cup of tea." The woman shrugged with a laugh. "She seemed in an awful hurry."
The Incursions Department agent leaned forward on her chair, listening intently. "Did she say why?" Mayim's Thai was rusty, but she was getting by. "Anything in particular that might give a clue where she's headed now?"
"She was trying to get to Chiang Mai. Likelier than not, only to get transportation elsewhere. America was what she said, if I remember it right -- nothing more specific than that. The poor girl didn't look like she had any money. I'm not even sure if she had a plan at all. She looked as tense as a cornered animal." A pause, and a sip of tea. "I did feel bad for her. She was a sweet girl. Just lost. I hope she's okay right now."
Mayim nodded. "In a way, that's what I'm trying to ensure. That, and that she isn't causing any trouble."
"I don't see how she could," the woman said. "I can't imagine her hurting anyone... except perhaps herself. Bull-headed would be an understatement."
Internally, Mayim noted everything. For what little this poor woman seemed to know, she'd actually filled in a lot of blanks that Mayim, or the Department at large, hadn't been able to figure out yet. Their target was female. Young and pretty, apparently. Not a great trait to pair with magical irresistibility, if Director Girard had been right about that... yet, in this local's mind, the target hadn't seemed at all nefarious or even mischievous. Just lost. And in a hurry. Not very well prepared, either.
In a lot of ways, a weight lifted off Agent Mayim Karabakov's shoulders; a fear of facing some terrible, all-powerful sorceress or monster had been nagging at her ever since she'd left Geneva. But new questions were quickly rolling in to replace the old ones. If this woman wasn't dangerous, what was she doing here? Was she in danger? Was she a refugee? And if so, from where, and why? When you worked for the Department, you learned quickly that the real threats often lurked behind what seemed to be benign events. A refugee, for instance, meant a world in trouble. Trouble that could spill over to Earth.
She would have to move on to learn more.
"One last question." Mayim set down her tea and looked intently at the older Thai woman. "Forgive me for it. But did you find this woman... seductive? Feel any attraction for her at all?" It was a necessary question, and one that would help her gauge the effects of the target's magic. But it was still a very awkward one to ask. She felt her face flush and hoped it didn't show too much.
"Goodness, no!" Her hostess laughed. "I wouldn't have dreamed of that. I've been a widow for a decade now, but I still have my dear husband's memory to keep me company. Besides, I'm much too old for any thoughts about anyone half my age... if that."
"Understood. Thank you." Another mental note; perhaps this target wasn't as irresistibly attractive as Girard thought. At least, not to everyone. "That's all. I'll be on my way."
"Not going to finish your tea?"
"I'm on a tight clock, ma'am. But again -- thank you."
The agent was out the door and gone like a shot, leaving the older woman to shrug and shake her head. "Foreigners," she muttered to herself. "There's just not a single one out there who appreciates a good cup of tea."
***
Kjelle had already been in one airport today. A string of trials, mishaps, misunderstandings, and woe had led up to boarding the plane. She'd had to ask for help from the locals several times over, and even then, it had taken her an embarrassingly long time to figure out the right gates, terminals, and procedures. But she'd ended up on that flight. Sat through several uncomfortable hours in the sky. Now she was here; in another human country, another airport, for something called a layover. Because apparently, unlike the hyperspace cruisers of the High Cosmos, these human vehicles had to take breaks in between their journeys. Goddesses forbid anything be direct or efficient here.
And now, to make it worse, some inclement weather had delayed her next flight indefinitely.
"Ugh," Kjelle groaned, fidgeting in the airport terminal's seat. She'd been here for hours. She'd already asked around and figured out where to go for a meal, and taken recommendations for what might be good to eat here. If nothing else, no one had been unfriendly to her. Since arriving on Earth, despite all of Earth's strangeness, she'd yet to meet someone who was anything but gracious, generous, and helpful. Was it because she was pretty? Because she was a woman? Or did humans just like to be kind to strangers? She couldn't be sure.
But she was sure that she was sick of this damn terminal.
It wasn't so unlike a hyperspace station or portal hub, she supposed. The same kind of waiting around, the same kind of crowds, the same kind of food courts and shopping stalls. Only everything here was unfamiliar and strange. The clothing, the architecture, the language. She could understand the latter, at least, but even through her universal translator, it still all felt odd to her ears and eyes. The longer she spent here, the less she felt like she had any business here.
Especially after Pim.
"Forget about her," Kjelle told herself aloud as she got up to pace around the terminal for the dozenth time. But forgetting wasn't so easily done. By now, Pim had certainly woken up and discovered that her new 'friend' had vanished. And that she'd been robbed. Pim must have been wondering why she'd been stupid enough to extend her trust and generosity -- more than that, her intimacy -- to a lying, thieving, scheming bitch like Kjelle, who hadn't told her more than a few breadcrumbs of truth before taking what she could and leaving.
